Ma 1
Helen Ma
UWP 1, Section 26
Leilani Serafin
6 March 2012
Word Count: 1612
Compromised Age Limit
The National Minimum Age Act of 1984 rose the drinking age in the United States to 21 years old. Since then, the debates of lowering this drinking limit continued as people, mainly of the younger generation, continue to argue the unfairness of such a high drinking age compared to many other countries whose drinking age remained at 18. Why was this act imposed in the first place? The main purpose of this act was to combat drunk-driving fatalities, which rose enormously in the early 1980s. And after President Ronald Reagan set up a commission to study this drunk driving problem, they found that "people under the age of 21 are more likely to engage in dangerous binge driving." (Alcohol: Problems and Solutions) Statistically, this act was the best solution for the United States at the time to ensure the safety of the citizens.
English: US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Gen...
Official Portrait of President Ronald Reagan
Exceptions to Minimum Age of 21 for Consumption of...However, this solution does not seem to be the only option as more and more disagreements and arguments continue to rise throughout the years. The best proposed alternative solution for this problem is lowering the drinking age down to 18, which will create a uniform age limit globally and provide a slight compromise for supporters of both side of the problem.
In the United States, the number eighteen signifies adulthood, freedom, and responsibility. When an individual turns eighteen years old, they legally enter adulthood and are bound to their own actions and choices. As the age of 18 represents so much freedom of adulthood, why are eighteen-year-olds restricted from consuming alcohol on their own? Originally, the age limit was raised specifically to 21 because in the late 1900s before the addition of the 26th amendment, the voting age...